20 arrested as activists raise Palestinian flag in settlement

Over a hundred Palestinian and international activists entered an illegal Israeli settlement and raised the Palestinian flag on Saturday, October 26. Settlers and Israeli Occupation Forces responded violently to the peaceful protest, firing tear gas and flash grenades and arresting at least 20 people, including nine internationals and seven journalists. One activist from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) had his passport and Israeli visa seized by soldiers.

The illegal settlement outpost at the focus of the activists’ protest is located near Khirbet Tell El-Himma, at the north of the Jordan Valley and is considered illegal by Israeli law since it was built after the Oslo Agreements in 1993. However, the illegal outpost, built on privately owned Palestinian land, is supported by the Israeli state, which provides it with utilities and military protection. The illegal outpost covers around five hectares, equivalent to five football pitches, for just 10 settlers. Nearby Palestinians have faced intimidation tactics including violence, weapons and even guard dogs at the hands of the settlers who have also tried to disrupt their agricultural harvests. Recently, the settlers began construction work to expand the outpost.

Activists raise the Palestinian flag at the illegal settlement outpost. Photo: Activestills.org

Saturday’s protest was aimed at denouncing the illegal Israeli settler’s seizure of land and resources and claiming Palestinians’ right to their land. Shortly after the activists entered the outpost, singing songs and raising the Palestinian flag, they were bombarded with tear gas and flash grenades by Israeli forces. When that failed to disperse them, the soldiers began assaulting and arresting protesters. 20 people, including nine internationals, were arrested while others had their passports and Israeli visas seized and confiscated. One ISM activist had his passport and Israeli visa confiscated and it has not yet been returned, over 48 hours later. According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, seven reporters were arrested, including journalists from the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), which denounced the Israeli army for attacking its colleagues while covering a peaceful march.

Illegal Israeli settlers assault non violent protesters at the action on Saturday, October 26th. Photo: Activestills.org

Activists from ISM and other organizations succeeded in preventing the arrest of two injured Palestinians by Israeli forces, who then confiscated the ambulance’s ignition key, refusing to let it leave. Activists were forced to leave the area to ensure the return of the ambulance ignition key and medical treatment for the injured Palestinians.

All activists have now been released and their legal documents returned. A number of international activists were banned from the Occupied West Bank and will be forcibly deported.

The direct action took place on the 3rd and final day of the ‘United in Struggle’ national conference which aims to unite the Palestinian struggle around a national strategy to resist Israeli settler colonialism and strengthen the role of BDS.

Israeli Forces detain Palestinian activist while another attempts to prevent the arrest.

Telling old stories in a new way: Palestinian dabke

At the first annual Hebron Festival, an event organized by the Hebron Municipality to celebrate the culture and history of Palestinians in Hebron, students from across the West Bank put on a theatrical performance, telling of life and history in Palestine through a play combined with music and dabke.

Dabke is a native Levantine folk dance popular in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Iraq. Dabke combines circle dance and line dancing and is widely performed at weddings, festivals, and other joyous occasions, sometimes even at protests like the Great March of Return in Gaza . Dabke in Palestine is thought to date back to ancient Canaan or Phoenicia, and involves a variety of footwork.

On September 22nd, Palestinian youth at the Happiness of Childhood Centre, Hebron, put on a moving dabke performance, depicting various aspects of life in Palestine, such as weddings, coming of age, protests, as well as historical events that shaped their lives, such as Al Nakba and the first Intifada, all woven together through the tale of a young boy and his sister growing up in Palestine in the 20th century.

The play’s protagonists — a young boy and his sister.

 

The opening dabke performance.

 

Nakba — the ethnic cleansing of millions of Palestinians from their homes by Israeli forces in 1948.

 

Life (and dabke!) in the refugee camps after Nakba.

 

Seeking fatherly advice.

 

The first Intifada: a child shot and killed at a protest.

 

Imprisonment of Palestinians in Israeli jails.

 

A Palestinian wedding.

 

The cast.

Settler tour exemplifies the difficult reality of occupation in the Old City of Hebron – a photo essay

July 7 | International Solidarity Movement | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Every Saturday, illegal Jewish settlers from around the West Bank take a “tour” of the busy souq (market) in Old City of Hebron, the busiest market street in the area since the closure of Shuhada Street. Local Palestinians believe that the Israeli authorities facilitate the tour as a deliberate method of intimidation, making life intolerable and unsustainable for them in order to prompt displacement.

On the tour, current and prospective settlers are given a skewed history of Hebron which disregards and contradicts the documented history of peaceful coexistence between Arabs and Jews in the city before 1948. Instead, it identifies the land’s heritage as solely Jewish. As shown, the settlers are escorted by numerous Israeli soldiers and Border Police officers, who randomly detain Palestinians for ID checks and prevent free movement in the souq during the duration of the tour.

Military and police can also be seen on the rooftops of Palestinian homes, many of which are now empty as a result of forced evictions for surveillance purposes. Palestinians living in the Old City are under constant threat of home invasions by the Israeli military and Jewish settlers, further contributing to displacement and the theft of Palestinian property.